My Beautiful Home Show -

My Beautiful Home Show

Jeffrey Paul is the co-founder of Wigs for Kids, a national nonprofit that provides customized human-hair replacement at no charge for children with hair loss due to chemotherapy, radiation, alopecia, burns, accidents or other medical circumstances. One way to support this Northeast Ohio-based organization is to attend the 9th annual Wigs for Kids Day at the Cleveland Zoo, which takes place July 26 and will feature a 5K run, a "fun walk" and a hair cut-a-thon. You also can build a team online and raise money for the cause. For more information: 440.333.4433 or Wigs for Kids

Carol Mulhern has been a representative for Longaberger for 20 years. Longaberger is known for its line of high-quality baskets, but it also has cookware that's incredibly versatile. Called Flameware, the pots and skillets can be used on the stovetop, in the oven and even in the microwave and on the outdoor grill. Then you can clean it in the dishwasher. Flameware is made of clay and is free of aluminum, lead and other heavy metals. For more information, visit Carol's website.

Veggie U is a national nonprofit based in Milan, Ohio. Its mission is to teach kids about growing food and eating healthfully, and it fulfills that mission by providing third-grade teachers with classroom garden kits. The schoolchildren who participate, their teachers and their families all learn to appreciate how good vegetables can be. Nadia Clifford, Veggie U's Executive Director, and Lynne Eirons, Education Manager, say that Veggie U has taught 5,000 children in 36 states. It's been in the Akron schools for six years, and is now in all the third-grade classrooms in the Akron system. One fun and tasty way to support this program is to attend the "Tastes of the World" fundraiser July 19 in downtown Cleveland. For more information: Veggie U or the fundraiser.

Bob Doherty is the branch manager for Wolff Bros. Supply Inc. , wholesalers of plumbing, electrical and other homebuilding supplies, and president of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) serving predominately Portage, Summit and Medina counties. On the show today, he stressed the importance of hiring trusted people to work on your home. You can find those contractors through organizations such as NARI. Bob also is a lighting expert, who says that incandescent light bulbs -- or lamps, as they're called in the trade -- haven't gone away. They're just different now. The new 72-watt lights put out the same amount of light as the old 100-watt bulbs. Wolff Bros. carries lighting as well. For more information, visit the Wolff Bros. website.

Jacqui Flaherty, program manager for Keep Akron Beautiful, just returned this week from the 8-80 Doable Cities Forum in Chicago. It was all about making cities more livable, including adding green spaces and walking and biking paths. The city of Akron has plans in the works. Also, Jacqui says that the Beautification Watch canvassing starts July 1 in Akron. Residents and businesses who have well-kept properties will receive certificates of merit in this program, which runs through the end of July. Finally, Keep Akron Beautiful's Community Pride trailer is available to rent by residents and nonprofit groups. They can use the landscaping equipment in the trailer to beautify vacant lots. Contact Keep Akron Beautiful at 330.375.2116 or visit the site.

Candice Lunar is a travel planner for Magical Adventures Travel, LLC. She's an expert in all things Disney and is certified by Disney and Cruise Line International as a travel planner. She says there are many good deals for people planning to go to any of the Disney properties this fall. For more information, visit magicaladventurestravel.com or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Ray and Margie Toombs, owners of Maid Brigade of Northeastern Ohio, clean your home the way you would clean if you really wanted to clean. But who does? It's so much better to spend your time doing what you want to do. Maid Brigade employees are all thoroughly background checked, so you can feel comfortable and secure letting them into your home. For more information: 330.453.6000 or Maid Brigade.

Scott Shaffer with Simple Recycling says that his company, which is pioneering textile and clothing recyling, works with municipalities to pick up clothes and other items that residents no longer need. The company's first program in this area is in Bath Township, and Norton's starts next week. Later this month, Boston Heights and Northfield Center will follow. For more information: 440-519-9200 or Simple Recycling.

Sarah Binder is president of NARI (the National Association of the Remodeling Industry) of Greater Cleveland. She says that homeowners can feel comfortable hiring NARI members to work on their properties because the contractors are put through a screening process when they apply for membership and must adhere to certain ethical standards. For more information: 216.631.7764 or NARI

On this week's show, we learned all about the Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz, which starts Monday, June 9, at four sites in Akron and Barberton, Ohio. In the blitz, each builder "adopts" a house and builds it from scratch in a week. For more about the blitz or Habitat for Humanity, visit Habitat's site.

Our guests were:

Rochelle Fisher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Summit County

We also heard about the third annual Bath Garage Sale, which takes place June 14 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. all over Bath Township. You can pick up a map at the Bake Shop in Ghent, says Nadine Clar, president of the Bath Business Association.

And last but certainly not least, we interviewed Irv Korman, author of I was Jackie Mason's Chauffeur for 5 Minutes and More Celebrity Encounters, and we gave away a signed copy. Irv will sign books June 19 at Buckeye Library in Medina; July 5 at Loganberry Books in Cleveland Heights; and July 19 at the Hudson Library. For more about Irv: Irv Korman